Phantom Forces Wiki:Manual of Style
The Phantom Forces Wiki Standardization Project is a collaborative effort to codify and standardize the writing and revising of articles on the Phantom Forces Wiki. The official Founder and President of this project is Jonasguy. ScarL4life has taken over leadership of the project during Jonasguy's absence. The project was begun on August 3rd, 2017. Past efforts by Aurified and others to formalize articles are well appreciated. All standardizations below were codified by Jonasguy unless otherwise noted. Project Membership All users of the Wiki are encouraged to take part in this project, but official members of the Wiki Standardization Project have more responsibilities and privileges with regard to the project. Responsibilities Members of the Wiki Standardization Project are expected to: * Abide by all codified standardization procedures * Ensure that proper grammar and American English is used in all Wiki articles * Vigilantly monitor new revisions and additions to pages * Help with the creation of new pages in the event of more content being added * Ensure that correct information about the game and external information (i.e. Weapon History, etc.) is proliferated * Assist in quashing vandalism, incorrect and impertinent information from the Wiki * Assist in completely eliminating favoritism, opinionated and juvenile writing from the Wiki * Bring issues with regards to the application of standardization procedure to the attention of the Project as a whole * Maintain professionalism in all matters while on the Wiki * Maintain a neutral, passive voice always when writing articles Privileges Members of the Wiki Standardization Project can: * Suggest new Standardization procedures * Help in revising existing procedures * Be assisted in the creation of new pages, types of pages or other personal projects on the Wiki * Have their decisions and writing respected and less rigorously monitored than non-members Membership List President President and Founder. Creator of the majority of Standardizations and manager of the project. * Jonasguy ( Inactive ) Leader Current leader of the project, responsible for managing operations. * ScarL4Life Lieutenants Trusted members who follow standardization procedure and have suggested or created some of their own. * ScarL4Life * PhantomForcesUser * HEIL JOPEDE * Osmily * SundownMKII * Duodecagon * Noobyrblx011 Privates New members who help with applying standardization procedures. * DarkLight2.0 * It would appear * DerpiDitzi * RedComm Standard Language The Standard Language used for the Phantom Forces Wiki Standardization Project is American English. Objectivity The most important part of the Wiki Standardization Project is making all articles have a passive, objective voice. This means evaluating all given information in a neutral way. * Present facts to the reader, but allow them to draw their own conclusions. ** For example, saying a weapon's Iron Sights are obstructive is more helpful than saying that they are 'horrible'. What Not to Do * Refrain from using definite words like 'All', 'Always' or 'Never', since exceptions to these words are all too common. * Never ''use the word 'best' without classification. ** For example, it is acceptable to say a weapon has the 'Best Magazine Capacity in class' but not to say a weapon is the 'Best weapon in its class'. * ''Never call a weapon "The best gun in the game" or "The most versatile and awesome weapon" etc. Clarity Using words with clear definitions is an important part of making the Wiki more professional. * Refrain from using words without a clear, concise definition, such as 'Bad'. It is better to use more descriptive words such as 'Poor'. Common Mistakes There are a number of mistakes in grammar and language on this wiki that you are likely to run into when standardizing. Make sure to fix these promptly. * The incorrect use of the word 'its'. 'It's' means 'it is', and does not function as a possessive. 'Its' is the correct possessive. Specific Clarifications Use of Links * Links to things like Weapon category pages should be applied only ''to the first mention of that category in an article. Do ''not ''link every mention of that type of weapon in the article, as this clutters the page and is unnecessary. ** For example, in a page about an Assault Rifle, link the phrase 'Assault Rifle' in the introductory sentence to the Assault Rifle category page. Any other mention of the phrase Assault Rifle should ''not ''be linked to that page. ** However, if, for example, the category Carbine or Personal Defense Weapon is mentioned, it is acceptable to link those pages to their appropriate category pages. However, be sure to only link the ''first ''mention of that article. '''Use of Pronouns' * Pronoun usage should be kept limited. For example, limit the amount of times you referred to a weapon as 'it'. Instead, it is better to refer to the weapon by name, though not to the point of extremity. * Never ''use a pronoun in an introductory sentence. '''Abbreviations' * Try to limit your use of abbreviations. However, popularly known and accepted abbreviations, such as Time to Kill (TTK) and Rate of Fire (RoF) are acceptable. ** See the index below for a list of Commonly Accepted Abbreviations. Weaponry * Magazine capacities are to be referred to with the following format: 'The (weapon) has a (Amount of rounds in magazine)'-round magazine. For example, the M16A3 has a 30-round magazine. All round capacities are to be referred to with a dash between the number of rounds and the word 'rounds', with rounds not being capitalized. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4Life. * 'Underbarrel' is one word. 'Under-barrel' is nonstandard and not accepted. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4Life. * 'Hipfire' is one word. 'Hip-fire' is nonstandard and not accepted. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4Life. * Cartridges are to be referred to with their standard metric designation. For example, 7.62x51mm NATO should be referred to as such. Any other variations (excluding shortenings such as 7.62 NATO or 7.62x51mm) are nonstandard and not accepted. This standardization was originally imposed by RedComm. ** Shotgun gauges are the standard way in which their ammunition is to be referred to. Standard Article Formats Gallery Tab All major articles should have a Gallery Tab at the top of the page, instead of a gallery on the page itself. To create this, go to the source editor and place this at the very top of the page, on top of everything else: }} After this is created, click on the Gallery Tab at the top of the page after saving the edit. This will create a new gallery page, since this tab counts as a separate page. Reference the standard imagery formats below to see what images to place on this page. Once the gallery page is created, go to the source editor again and place this at the very top of the gallery page: }} This will ensure the tab shows up on the gallery page. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4Life. 'Infoboxes' All Weaponry Articles use the Template:Weapon infobox. All Attachment Articles use the Template:Attachment infobox. All Articles use the Template:WeaponMelee infobox. All Grenade Articles use the Template:WeaponGrenade infobox. Be sure that this information is up to date by confirming it in-game if you think some of the information is incorrect. 'Infobox Pictures' Pictures in infoboxes must have a transparent background. For weaponry, the main picture is the weapon as viewed in the weapon selection screen. Some pages use multiple images in their infoboxes. To prevent clutter, the tabber class is utilized. To use the tabber class for infoboxes with multiple images, go to the source editor and type the following: |image= Title of Tab 1= |-| Title of Tab 2= The PSO-1 will be used as an example of how the tabber is used for attachments: |image = Model = |-| Reticle = |-| Hip View = This outputs as: Model = |-| Reticle = |-| Hip View = This standardization was originally imposed by Duodecagon. Weaponry Articles Introductory Sentence Weaponry articles begin with this sentence format: 'The (Weapon Name) '''is a (Country of Origin) (Type of Weapon with link to Weapon category page). The (Weapon Name) is unlocked at Rank (rank) or can be purchased with credits (with link to credits page) (CR). Here is an example of a correct introductory sentence: 'The '''M16A4 is an American Assault Rifle. It is unlocked at Rank 22 or can be purchased with credits (CR).' Default Weapons If the weapon is a default weapon, then the second sentence should read 'The (Weapon Name) is unlocked by default.' Integrally Suppressed Weapons If the weapon is integrally suppressed, then the first sentence should read 'The (Weapon Name) '''is a (country of origin) Integrally Suppressed (Weapon Type). The link on 'Integrally Suppressed' should be to the Integrally Suppressed Weapons category. An example of a correct type of sentence is 'The '''AWS '''is a British Integrally Suppressed Sniper Rifle.' '''Other Secondary Weapons The introductory sentence for a secondary weapon classified as 'Other' should describe the weapon briefly, using other categories as much as possible. This should then link to the 'Category: Other Secondary Weapons' page. For example, the Obrez and SFG 50 should be described as 'sawn-off Sniper Rifles', since Sniper Rifles are another category in Phantom Forces. Derivative Weapons If the weapon is a derivative of another weapon (for example, the MG36 Light Machine Gun is a derivative of the G36 Rifle) then the first sentence should include that fact. Make sure to link the original weapon. However, do not link the weapon category that the original weapon belongs to; for example, if the original weapon is an Assault Rifle, do not link the phrase 'Assault Rifle' to the Assault Rifle page. This only clutters the page. Only link the original weapon itself. An example of this type of sentence is 'The MG36 '''is a German Light Machine Gun variant of the G36 Assault Rifle.' Updated member of a weapon family are ''not ''derivative weapons. For example, the M16A4 is a member of the AR-15 Family, but is not a derivative of the M16A3. If there was, for example, a Light Machine Gun derivative of the M16A3 rifle, then ''that ''would be a derivative weapon, but an updated version of the same weapon family is not a derivative. '''What Not to Do * Do not ''refer to a weapon with a pronoun in an introductory sentence. This means the word 'it' or 'its' should not appear in the introductory sentence. * Do ''not ''describe the weapon in any way except with reference to its country of origin and what type of weapon it is. * As of now, do not refer to how many credits a weapon costs to unlock. ** The author is unsure whether this scales based off how close you are to unlocking the weapon (as with Attachments) so it is best not to refer to it at all, as of right now. This can be changed later. * ''DO NOT ''explain any abbreviations or translate anything in the introductory sentence. For example, do not put 'The '''AUG '(A'rmee '''U'niversal 'G'ewehr - Universal Army Rifle) is a..' in the introductory sentence. This should go in the History section below. * Do not say a weapon 'can be unlocked at Rank ___'. This implies the player has a choice on whether to unlock the weapon or not, which is untrue. '''History The History section should include a short description of the history of the weapon. This section should include references to where the information was found (use Insert -> Reference for this), which then corresponds to the Reference List - see below. Any explanations of abbreviations or translations of the weapon's name should go in this section. For example, it is acceptable to explain that AK in AKM stands for Avtomat Kalashnikov ''in the History section. '''What Not to Do' * Do not ''copy and paste this section directly from any site, whatsoever. Write it yourself. * Check multiple sources if you have a question about a weapon fact. While sources like Wikipedia should not be blindly trusted, they are a good starting point for finding more trustworthy sources. '''In-Game Section' The In-Game section is split into four subsections. This format was first proposed by ScarL4life and credits goes to him. The first section is General Information. This section contains information about the weapon and a general overview of its use. The second section is Usage & Tactics. This section goes into more detail about how to use the weapon effectively. The third section is the Conclusion. This section concludes the In-Game section with a summary of the usage of the weapon. The fourth, and final, section is the Attachments for the weapon. This section should include a Template:ListAttachment with the number of kills required for each type of weapon filled out. Each sub-section should be in bold, italicized, and have the Sub-Heading One font. Pros & Cons The Pros & Cons (instead of Pros AND Cons) sections contains a number of Pros and Cons for each weapon. The word 'Pros' should have a green color, while the word 'Cons' should have a red color. To do this, go to the source editor and replace 'Pros' with 'Pros:' and 'Cons' with 'Cons:'. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4Life. The Pros & Cons are organized by bullet points. Each bullet point should be kept short, and should only contain a single sentence. If you require more than one sentence, split it into two bullet points. This sentence should not end with a period. Trivia The Trivia section contains interesting or pertinent information about the weapon in question. This includes things such as quirks about the in-game model, incorrect information in-game or trivia about the weapon's ranking with regards to how fast it fires, how quiet it is, etc. Good discretion should be exercised with regard to what type of trivia to keep and what to throw out, since a lot of trivia is quite grammatically incorrect or factually incorrect. Be sure to check multiple sources (for example, find the SOURCE of information you see on Wikipedia instead of trusting it up front) before placing a trivia fact in this section. References The Reference section should include the Reference List for references found above in the History section. Use Insert -> ReferenceList for this. What Not to Do * Do not place the Reference section below the Weapon Navbox. Weapons Navbox At the very bottom of the page, place the Template: Navbox. This allows easy navigation to other weapons pages. Map Pages All map pages should have at least an infobox (with an image of an overview of the map) along with Overview Summary, Strategy, and Trivia section. A good example of a completed map page is Ravod 911. This Standardization has been imposed by HEIL JOPEDE. Weapon Family Articles Introductory Sentence Weapon Family Articles begin with this sentence format: 'The (Weapon Family Name) Family is a group of (Place of Origin) (Types of Weapons in Family). Here is an example of a correct introductory sentence: 'The Glock Family '''is a group of Austrian Pistols and Machine Pistols.' '''Members of Family After the Introductory Sentence, there should be a bulleted list of all of the weapons in the family, along with the weapon type and the rank it is unlocked at. Above this, there should be the standard sentence format: 'Currently, there are (number of members of family) weapons that are members of the (Weapon Family Name) Family in Phantom Forces:' Here is an example of a correct Members of Family section: 'Currently, there are seven weapons that are members of the AR-15 Family in Phantom Forces: * The M16A4, an Assault Rifle unlocked at Rank 22. * The M16A3, an Assault Rifle unlocked at Rank 31. * The M231, an Assault Rifle unlocked at Rank 123. * The Honey Badger, an Assault Rifle unlocked at Rank 62. * The M4, a Carbine unlocked at Rank 14. * The M4A1, a Carbine unlocked by default, or Rank 0. * The Colt SMG 635, a Personal Defense Weapon unlocked at Rank 49. * The Colt LMG, a Light Machine Gun unlocked by default, or Rank 0. As above, be sure to only link the first mention of a weapon type in this format. This list should be ordered by weapon types (as they are ordered on the Weapons Navbox) and then rank. Categorizing Categories are a very important part of having good navigation on a Wiki. For that reason, it is very important to keep to the standard form for categorizing all articles. Under Construction Articles If a page has the 'Under Construction' banner at the top, add the category 'Under Construction Articles' to it. Weaponry Weapons should have the category corresponding to what type of weapon they are (Primary or Secondary Weapon, Assault Rifle/PDW/etc.), as well as which class can use that type of weapon, and, if applicable, the family of weapon that it belongs to. Furthermore, the category 'Weaponry' should apply to all weapon pages. For example, the M16A3 page should have the following categories: * Weaponry * Primary Weapons * Assault Rifles * Assault Class * AR-15 Family Do NOT ''use the category 'Primary'. It is obsolete and incorrect. Do ''NOT ''use any weapon categories ending with 'Class'. For example, do not use 'Shotgun Class' or 'Light Machine Gun Class'. They are obsolete and incorrect. Weapons with an Integral Suppressor should be categorized as Integrally Suppressed Weapons. Weapons which were produced before the Second World War should be categorized as Historical Weapons. '''What Not to Do' * DO NOT ''create new weaponry categories! This work has been completed by Jonasguy, and, unless a completely new category is placed into the game, there is no reason to create any new weaponry categories, whatsoever. Standard Imagery '''Weaponry' Standard weapon imagery is standardized, with regards to use in infoboxes. The Wiki Standardization Project very much appreciates this. However, what weapon images should be featured in the Gallery section of a Weaponry page has yet to be standardized. Attachments Main Article Image The Main Article Image for any attachment should be a screenshot of the AK-12 with only the featured attachment equipped. An example of a standardized attachment image is to the right. If the AK-12 is unable to equip the featured attachment, then the lowest ranking weapon which can equip that attachment should be used in the same method. For example, as of Update 2.0.0, the AS VAL will have to be used to illustrate the Extended Magazine attachment. This is an ad-hoc solution for the current time, and will need to be refined in the future. Any suggestions are welcomed. 'Gallery Pages' These pages should have 3 pictures of the gun being depicted: one with a view from the hip, the second down the sights, and the third inspecting the weapon. Other photos can also be added, but these three are mandatory. Weapons should not have attachments or skins on them. It is optional to do reloading/firing gifs. This standardization was originally imposed by ScarL4life. Index Credit goes to Dinocamo for originally writing up many of these terms. However, some things have been changed under this project and these definitions are to be used in the future. Exact Definitions of Terms Range * Point Blank Range is defined as being within 20 studs. * Short Range is defined as being within 20-100 studs. ** Close Range differs from Short Range in that Close Range implies the closeness of surroundings. Short Range only implies the closeness of encounters. Therefore, a map like Warehouse is Close Range but Short Range encounters still take place on other maps. *** Basically, Close Range implies Short Range but Short Range does not imply Close Range. * Medium Range is defined as being within 100-250 studs. ** Mid-Range and Medium Range can be used interchangeably, and mean the same thing. * Long Range is defined as being within 250-400 studs. * Extreme Range is defined as being above 400 studs. Weaponry Primary Weapons * Assault Rifles are defined as weapons firing intermediate-caliber cartridges from a detachable box magazine. * Personal Defense Weapons are defined as physically small weapons which fire cartridges which are smaller than intermediate-caliber cartridges. * Light Machine Guns are defined as physically large weapons which fire from magazines with more than 30 rounds. ** Light Machine Guns are generally intermediate caliber weapons, but there are exceptions such as the M60. * Sniper Rifles are defined as bolt-action weapons firing rifle-caliber ammunition. * Carbines are defined as short-length weapons firing intermediate cartridges from a detachable box magazine. * Battle Rifles are defined as rifle-caliber weapons which are select-fire and feed from a detachable box magazine. ** The Henry 45-70 is officially classified as a Battle Rifle in-game, despite violating this definition. * Shotguns are defined as weapons which fire groups of pellets with every shot. Secondary Weapons * Pistols are defined as semi-automatic weapons feeding from a detachable, box magazine. * Machine Pistols are defined as fully-automatic weapons feeding from a detachable, box magazine. * Revolvers are defined as handguns feeding from a revolving cylinder. * Other Secondary Weapons are all other weapons in the secondary weapon category that do not fit into the above categories. Characteristics * Handling refers to the combined aspects of the weapon's walk speed, equip speed and aim speed. This term refers to how the weapon feels when it is being used by a player. ** Therefore, a lightweight, fast weapon like the MP5K could be said to have better handling than a large, heavy weapon like the Colt LMG. Commonly Accepted Abbreviations * PDW: Personal Defense Weapon - A member of the Personal Defense Weapon class. ** Despite the fact that most Personal Defense Weapons should be classified as Submachine Guns, never ''refer to them as such, or use the abbreviation SMG when referring to PDWs. * LMG: Light Machine Gun - A member of the Light Machine Gun class. * TTK: Time to Kill - How long it takes, in seconds, to kill an enemy with the maximum damage modifier possible for that weapon, which usually entails a shot to the head. Time to Kill is measured without reference to any attachments. ** Therefore, guns which have a one-hit-kill on headshot, such as the MP412 REX, have a Time to Kill of zero seconds. * STK: Shots to Kill - How many shots it takes to kill an enemy at a given range. For comparison purposes, Shots to Kill are all assumed to be within the Maximum Damage Range of the weapon, with the standard torso modifier applied. Furthermore, Shots to Kill are measured without reference to any attachments. ** Therefore, the AK-12 has a STK of four, because it does 33 damage per shot within its maximum damage range. ** Bullets to Kill, Hits to Kill and all other derivations are nonstandard and not accepted. * #SK: (Number)-Shot-Kill - E.g. 4-Shot-Kill is 4SK. This is like the term above which relates to how many shots it requires to kill an anemy, however its use is different grammatically. For e.g. the AK-12 is a 4-Shot-Kill (4SK) up close versus the AK-12 requires 4-Shots-To-Kill (4STK) up close. * CQC: Close Quarters Combat - Combat that takes place at close range. ** CQB: Close Quarter Battle - Another term for CQC. * RoF: Rate of Fire - How fast, in Rounds Per Minute, a weapon can fire. * RPM: Rounds Per Minute - A measurement used to display how fast a weapon fires. This is disregarding the need to reload and other factors such as overheating. ** Therefore, despite the fact that it is practically impossible for an AK-12 to fire 700 rounds in one minute, its RPM statistic is still 700 RPM since it is theoretically possible. '''Weapon Families' There are a number of Families of weapons on Phantom Forces. AR-15 Family The AR-15 Family is an American weapons family based off the AR-15 Rifle first invented in 1957. Current Members * M16A3 * M16A4 * M231 * Honey Badger * M4 * M4A1 * Colt SMG 635 * Colt LMG Melee Category:Wiki Standardization Project Category:Projects Category:Standardization